Compassion in a War Zone: The Story of Taro Higa

A 2015 NHK documentary (known in Japanese as Okinawa wo Sukutta Nikkeijin) that chronicles the remarkable actions of a Hawaii-born Okinawan who served with the U.S. Army’s famed 100th Infantry Battalion during WWII. During the Battle of Okinawa, Taro Higa used his fluency in the Japanese and Okinawan languages to move between the frontlines, entering dangerous caves and active combat zones. His goal was to persuade terrified local Okinawan civilians and cornered soldiers not to commit mass suicide as urged by the Japanese Imperial military. Higa is credited with saving thousands of lives by off…